1st round of training for Shreveport

I learned a lot after Battle at Baywood 2. I really learned that I needed to change the way I train and take care of my body. Two of the events that I struggled in last were speed events which are usually my better events.  To change the way I change, I decided to time my lifts.

For example, my training week begins with axle clean and press, each rep, for 3 sets of 3, followed by a set w max reps in 60 seconds. The last week of training, I ended with 285lbs for 4 reps. Not exactly where I want to be this close to the competition, but I knew this was going to be my weak event, my goal is just to be in the middle of the pack.

For the second day, I squat. I used hatfield safety squats for my lift. I really prefer these compared to a normal squat. On the last squat day, I ended with 655lbs for 2, a new 2 rep PR.

The 3rd day, I concentrated on more pressing. Mainly did strict axle presses. One day, I did 49 singles and a double at 225lbs. My shoulders were on fire after!

Day 4 was deadlifting. The first week, I set a new 3 rep PR at 625lbs. I really beat my body up after that. I would time myself doing a 100ft sandbag carry with a 200lb sandbag and then car deadlift a 1000lb tire until the 60seconds was up. This really pushed my cardio and speed further than it has ever been.

Another workout that I have been doing on leg day was a wheelbarrow sandbag keg load suicide medley. I would load a 200lb sandbag, carry a wheelbarrow 25ft. Load a 250lb keg, carry the wheelbarrow another 25 ft, carry it back 25ft, load a 250lb wheelbarrow, then finish the last 25ft. Another event that pushed my training. I will never lose an event due to not being fast enough or not enough cardio!

I have also been training farmers carry much more than usual but constantly working on my speed. I PR'd carry 320lb farmers for 50ft in 8 seconds flat, pure speed. For max weight, I carried 380lbs (per hand!) 25ft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD3heECDWpI

To help my body recover from all of this, I have really picked my diet up and began a monthly massage schedule to keeps my muscles loose and free. For my diet, I have cleaned up some of the nonsense I would eat and would eat healthier. I even upped the amount of protein I take in to around 350g/day. Every night and sometimes in the AM with my Greek yogurt, I have a pack of cookies or brownie from The Protein Bakery. www.proteinbakery.com

Their 2 pack of cookies are a great addition mixed in with my Greek yogurt for breakfast. The brownies are amazing warmed in the microwave and a little whit cream on it. Or even by itself. Their treats give me the extra protein I need to recover from my workouts and go back at it again.

As of right now, it is only 36 days away from Shreveport's Strongest Man. I will be taking the rest of this week to deload. The begin a 4 week training regime, followed by 1 rest week prior to the competition. By then, I will be ready to bring my 'A' game to a national level.